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Published: September 14th 2011
The nights in Barcelona rumble when FC Barca suits up in Camp Nou. Tonight I watched my first European soccer game: FC Barcelona versus AC Milan. I'm not an avid soccer fan but I was thrilled to watch Barcelona play because the team won the Championship League, FIFA Club World Cup, European Super Cup, Spanish League Championship, and Spanish Super Cup within the past year. My friends and I were ecstatic as we walked into the massive stadium and overlooked the field from the highest row.
The game started off on an odd note. Within the first 25 seconds of the game, AC Milan's Alexander Pato broke away from the Barcelona defense and scored the first goal of the game. The Milan fan section, which was about 30 yards from my seat, burst into cheering and celebration with their unexpected lead over Barcelona.
The European soccer games are unlike most sporting events in the United States. The fans are very enthusiastic about their team and can get rowdy during the games. In order to prevent fights from occurring in the stands, the Barcelona stadium has a tall and robust fence that divides the visiting team fans from the Barcelona
fans. As a second precaution, groups of security guards line the fence to tame the crowds. There were times when I felt like I was standing next to a war zone when police officers, equipped with helmets and pads, silenced rambunctious fans from both sides of the fence.
The first goal of the game shocked us, but Barcelona recovered quickly. Barcelona controlled the ball well on offense and Milan rarely took the ball to Barcelona's defense. I was amazed by the precision of Barcelona's passes and the team's intricate ball-handling skills. After 25 minutes of soccer, Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez scored a goal to even the score 1-1. My friends and I erupted with excitement when Rodriguez scored. The fans in the stadium were buzzing with joy at the thought of recovering from the first goal against Barcelona.
Barcelona scored again with a goal from David Villa. We expected Barcelona to win this game because the team handled the ball so well and took a lot more shots on Milan's net than Milan on Barcelona. The Barcelona fans taunted the Milan fans with the lead, and it looked as though Barcelona would win this championship league game.
AC
The Crew
My friends: Amondo, Christian, Rob, and I in the top row with the field behind us.Milan shocked everyone in the last minute of play. The visiting had the corner kick on Barcelona's defense. AC Milan's Thiago Silva kicked the ball and dropped it into Barcelona's goal to tie the game 2-2. We watched in shock as Barcelona tried to score another goal, but failed to do so in the final seconds of the game. While the goal was depressing, it was an amazing goal because it curved into the net like a curveball pitch in baseball.
Leaving the stadium was nearly impossible. A sea of over 100,000 people walked home disappointed with the tie against Milan. Although we expected a win, my friends and I walked home impressed with the quality of play we witnessed in that night's game.
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Gina Harney
non-member comment
This reminds me of when we saw the Pope in Yankee Stadium. Our seats were at the top of the stadium.